Khalid I of Saudi Arabia

Khalid I of Saudi Arabia (13 February 1913-13 June 1982) was the King of Saudi Arabia from 25 March 1975 to 13 June 1982, succeeding Faisal I of Saudi Arabia and preceding Fahd of Saudi Arabia.

Biography
Khalid was the fifth son of Ibn Saud and al-Jawhara bint Musaed al-Jiluwi, and at the age of 14 he was sent as his father's representative to desert tribes to hear their concerns and problems. From 1932 to 1934 he was the Viceroy of Hejaz in Saudi Arabia, and in 1934 he served under his brother and future king Faisal I of Saudi Arabia in a war with Yemen while serving as Minister of the Interior. In that post, he met with Franklin D. Roosevelt and represented Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, and a foreign diplomat called him "the nicest man in Saudi Arabia". In 1965, he became Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and in 1975 his reign began after King Faisal was assassinated. He passed a law stating that the king would have the final say for all laws and family disputes, but he failed to monopolize power (leading to princes having more power), was not active in affairs of state, and was a sickly person, making him an ineffective leader. In 1979, after the Grand Mosque seizure, he decided to implement Wahhabism as the state ideology to appease extremists, seeking a return to traditionalism and the ways of life back in the 7th century. This led to Saudi Arabia falling behind in advancement, and he died in 1982, with Fahd of Saudi Arabia succeeding him. The King Khalid Military City is named for him.